When one is on stage, there are always two. Remembering René Pollesch, who changed theater as an author and director.
Help. Help. Help. René Pollesch’s last production begins with screaming behind the closed curtain. So bloodcurdling and real that many viewers don’t know whether these screams are part of the play or part of reality. It’s one of the rare moments in theater that is truly irritating. Because it is unclear whether what we are experiencing is actually theater. The uncertainty comes from the fact that anything is possible in the theater. Only a real death cannot be theater. We know that and we knew that. But right now we’re finding out. Extremely painful. René Pollesch, the liveliest theater maker, has died. Gone forever.